Cleaning Out The Junk

Bringing a baby in the home makes a whole lot more junk in the trunk. No, I don’t mean the kind you get from carrying a little person inside of you for 9 whole months, although that extra poundage sure does get heavy from time to time. I am actually referring to the “stuff” you acquire when bringing the little person into the world. It seems like every month there is something new we need for Eden. We don’t mind, but living in 834 sq. ft. means we have to get creative when finding places to put all of the additional necessities. 

When Eden started eating solid food a couple of months ago I ran into a problem. Every little nook and cranny of our kitchen was already stuffed full and I had absolutely nowhere to put her bowls, spoons, bibs, washcloths…well, you get the idea. Then I had a bit of an “ah ha!” moment. I had a drawer full of JUNK (well, at the time I didn’t really think of it as junk) that really didn’t need to be there. So, I cleaned it out.

Yeah, not pretty. I then pulled out each item and laid them out all over the counter. It just emphasizes the ridiculous amount of items that were just stuffed into the drawer.

All items found in the drawer were relocated to our kitchen storage in the basement, or elsewhere in the house. I mean honestly, I don’t use most of those items on a daily basis. For fun, here is a list of what was found.

• cheese slicer from Norway
• pie server
• salad servers
• apple slicer
• sippy cup instruction sheet
• plastic bag with Tums
• another cheese slicer
• meat thermometer
• sharpie
• pen
• a Christmas notepad
• extra filters for the breastpump
• coupon for string cheese
• pizza slicer
• spatula
• spoons
• basting brush (no idea what the technical term is)
• handmixer whisks paddles (seriously the name escapes me) 

Typing this all out embarrasses me so I hope you appreciate it. Actually I am doing this solely to motivate you to find a “junk drawer” and do a quick clean up. It honestly took me maybe ten minutes to sort it all out. I have to be honest, this isn’t the most stunning “after” photo you will ever see, but it definitely gave me a sigh of relief once it was cleaned out. So, the after…

See what I mean? Now, things have changed a bit since this photo was taken because I think everything in your home should be flexible and ready for changes as they are needed. The bowls still reside in the drawer, as do the bibs, but I needed to make room for a couple more things that are needed most often. I combined the bibs and added in washcloths (seriously this girl loves to make a mess) and spoons. I originally had both items in separate locations but quickly realized that I needed them right at my fingertips instead of having to walk to multiple places in order to get the things I needed. Yes, even saving three steps is worth it…honestly, I will do anything for a spare second in my day.

So, there you have it. A quick organization project that may not be the most life changing thing you have ever seen, but it does the trick.

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Yes, I do believe this post is a bit trivial considering all the lives that have been lost in Missouri and the homes that have been destroyed. Definitely praying for everyone over there. Natural disasters are so devastating and it makes me so sad to see so much hurt. I am going to be certain to hold Eden a bit tighter tonight and be thankful for what I do have. Praying for you all!